TSPSC: Telangana Movement from 1969 to 2013

Most of the parties in the state changed their stand about the Telangana Statehood several times.

Here are the stands taken by various parties in the state when the movement was at its peak between 2009 and 2013 Congress party, do the ruling party at Center, took its final listen to go ahead with creating the Telangana state in July 2013.

Parties which were in favour of Telangana state before 9 December 2009, but changed stand to neutral on 10th December 2009, the day the process for formation of Telangana state was announced by Central Government and later retracted on 23rd December.

After 9th December 2009, Jagan Mohan Reddy as a Congress MP opposed the Telangana state formation. After he found the YSR Congress party, here adopted a neutral stand.

The Praja Rajyam party of actor politician Chiranjeevi was against the division of the state, but merged into the Congress in 2011.

The Loksatta adds as that it will welcome the formation of a separate state as part of a comprehensive and amicable solution it, however, states that the real issue is to improve the lives of people irrespective of the formation of a separate state.

During the all party meeting on December 28 2012, TDP representatives gave a letter signed by its its president to home minister of India that the party had never withdrawn its letter to Pranab Mukherjee in 2008 which supported Telangana state formation.

MIM wants the state to remain United if division is unavoidable the party wants a separate state of Telangana with Telangana and Rayalaseema regions along with Hyderabad as capital. They opposed Hyderabad being declared as a union territory the Congress working committee unanimously resolution on 30th July to create state of Telangana.

Early Incidents

1969 to 1973:

This period was marked by two political agitations, namely, “Telangana” and “Jai Andhra” movements. Social tensions arose due to influx of people from the Coastal Andhra region. People started with the hunger strike of a student from the Khammam district for the implementation of safe guards promised during the creation of Andhra Pradesh.

The movement slowly manifested into a demand for the Separate Telangana.

According to the 19 January 1969 edition of The Indian Express, the agitation turned violent when crowd attempted to set fire to Sub Inspector’s house. 17 were injured in the police firing.

The army had to called in. After several days of talks with leaders of both regions, on 12th April 1969, the Prime Minister put forth, an eight point plan. Telangana leaders rejected the plan and protests continued under the leadership of newly formed Political Party Telangana Praja Samithi in 1969 asking for the formation of Separate Telangana.

Under the Multi rules in the force at that time, anyone who had lived in the Hyderbad for 12 years was considered as local and thus was eligible foe certain government posts.

Telangana Praja Samithi was formed under the leadership of Dr Chenna Reddy with the intention of leading the movement.

The party however split in November 1969 with the exit of dissident Congress Leaders . The movement slowly lost momentum and thus dissolved.